BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Jay Leno will leave "The Tonight Show" in 2009 and turn it over to Conan O'Brien, NBC announced Monday.
Leno will officially tell viewers of his decision on Monday night's edition of the show, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
In a statement, Leno said he will be ready to go in 2009, when he will be 59 -- and will have spent 17 years behind the "Tonight" show desk.
"When I signed my new contract, I felt that the timing was right to plan for my successor and there is no one more qualified than Conan," said Leno. "Plus, I promised (wife) Mavis I would take her out for dinner before I turned 60."
O'Brien has signed a new contract with NBC that will keep him in place on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" -- which comes on after "The Tonight Show" -- for the next five years.
"'The Tonight Show' is one of the great franchises in television and I am thrilled to get this opportunity," O'Brien said.
